# When did you realize something was dirty? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 11, 2006, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-realize-something-was-dirty/363958 "2006-07-11T01:53:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![bubastis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d07c76/32.png) [@bubastis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bubastis)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2006, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-realize-something-was-dirty/363958/21 "2006-07-11T21:28:41Z")
I never knew the word Cunt was a euphinism for female genatalia. Over here, and in England, we throw that word around like confetti. Its a very popular swear. Dont believe me? Watch any of those horrible mockney movies that appeared like a rash a few years ago, you cunts. 😛 Anyhoo, I dont know what it was that made me realise, but I do know that it happened sometime in the past five or so years. And of course, earlier than that, the word Fuck was just a verb/noun/adjective, as in fuck off you fucking fuck head. Then it became TO fuck, as in to fuck some girl, as in have sex. Y’know. Before then, it was fuck off, you cunt, not I’m gonna fuck this girls cunt. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Broken\_Wind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Broken\_Wind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broken_Wind)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2006, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-realize-something-was-dirty/363958/22 "2006-07-11T22:23:31Z")
I was in the fifth grade and had stayed up late one night and watched an episode of Saturday Night Live, back when Jane Curtin and Dan Akroyd would anchor the news. I heard Dan utter the famous line “Jane, you ignorant slut.” I thought it was funny but I had no idea what it meant. I just thought it was nonsense words. The next day while I was riding in the car with my Mom I thought I’d try out my new line, so I let loose with “Mom, you ignorant slut!” She was not at all amused. I looked it up in the dictionary at school the following day. Man, was I embarassed. :o ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2006, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-realize-something-was-dirty/363958/23 "2006-07-11T23:52:17Z")
My Dad did a stint as the Chief Medical Officer on the U.S. David Ray. Anyway, when he got back he had T-Shirts for me and my sister. I was about 12 and she was 10. The shirt had a funny cartoon picture of a guy wringing the neck of a chicken. The caption (in large script) was “Any Day Is Chicken-Choking Day on the U.S. David Ray.” I had no idea what that referred to until I was in college. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-realize-something-was-dirty/363958/24 "2006-07-12T01:14:47Z")
[QUOTE=bubastis] I never knew the word Cunt was a euphinism for female genatalia. Over here, and in England, we throw that word around like confetti. [/QUOTE] I thought it had the same meaning in England. There was once a [street](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gropecunt_Lane) in London which was once called “Gropecunt Lane.” The name was later with the name later changed into the more polite “Grub Lane”. Has the word “cunt” changed in meaning in England recently, or is it just used so often it’s lost its shock value? ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-realize-something-was-dirty/363958/25 "2006-07-12T04:11:40Z")
[QUOTE=bubastis] I never knew the word Cunt was a euphinism for female genatalia. Over here, and in England, we throw that word around like confetti. Its a very popular swear. Dont believe me? Watch any of those horrible mockney movies that appeared like a rash a few years ago, you cunts. [/QUOTE] We got the same problem with ‘tush.’ Apparently it’s a lot less innocent on your side of the pond than it is on ours. DD ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2006, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-realize-something-was-dirty/363958/26 "2006-07-12T05:11:46Z")
[QUOTE=bubastis] I never knew the word Cunt was a euphinism for female genatalia. [/QUOTE] Euphemism, or dysphemism? It’s still pretty vulgar, right, you just thought it was a general swear? [QUOTE=DesertDog] We got the same problem with ‘tush.’ Apparently it’s a lot less innocent on your side of the pond than it is on ours. [/QUOTE] Not to mention fanny. The British fanny is on the opposite side of the body from the US one. Over there, they have (had) “bum bags.” ---
**Author:** ![bubastis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d07c76/32.png) [@bubastis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bubastis)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2006, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-realize-something-was-dirty/363958/27 "2006-07-13T21:25:30Z")
[QUOTE=thelurkinghorror] Euphemism, or dysphemism? It’s still pretty vulgar, right, you just thought it was a general swear? [/QUOTE] Yeah, I just thought it was a general swear. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2006, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-realize-something-was-dirty/363958/28 "2006-07-13T21:35:26Z")
[QUOTE=thelurkinghorror] Euphemism, or dysphemism? It’s still pretty vulgar, right, you just thought it was a general swear? Not to mention fanny. The British fanny is on the opposite side of the body from the US one. Over there, they have (had) “bum bags.” [/QUOTE] Just like the British to drive on the wrong side of the road. ---
**Author:** ![awldune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@awldune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awldune)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2006, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-realize-something-was-dirty/363958/29 "2006-07-13T21:42:23Z")
“cunt” is rarely used in the US and is far and away the most offensive curse word, IMO. When I was in junior high school (13 maybe) my older sister came home crying because a boy called her “the ‘c’ word”. I didn’t figure out what that word was until years later. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-did-you-realize-something-was-dirty/363958.md?page=1)